The Rose That Which He Grew
by Eirii Akabara
Summary: OneShot. Many years has passed since after the war with Naraku is over. Rin grew to be a beautiful young maiden, and Sesshomaru had come to realize she was no longer the child she once was. He had always adored and favored her. But what will he do as his feelings for her change and he begins to see her as a woman than a child? Rin x Sesshomaru. Romance.


Its a warm, summer day. The humid, yet cool breeze blew against the demon lord's long, white hair, causing it to sway gently and dance with the rhythm of the wind. The sleeves of his white tunic fluttered gently, but he didn't seem to care. His back rested against the rough trunk of an old tree by the river, his eyes closed as he tried to block out the noise of the splashing water, accompanied by the shrieking voice of Jaken's constant yelling. Being a man of few words, Sesshomaru does not intend to waste them trying to calm the grumpy demon down.

He had always been the patient kind, but eventually, after hours and hours of hearing the same thing over and over again, even the most patient of creatures ought to reach their limit. After another burst of shrill annoyance from Jaken, the great dog demon opened his eyes, turning to the direction of the noisy bunch. He was hoping to catch the green demon's glance, knowing a silent, deathly glare from him would be enough to shut the old demon up. He had enough of the annoying one's antics for the day. But he was swiftly side-tracked from what he was meant to do, as he eyes fell on the young maiden dressed in an orange yukata, splashing water at the two-headed beast that stood a few inches from her side.

Her hair was black and long-longer than how he last remembered it to be. She was tall, though not too tall. Perhaps, the height of the miko InuYasha was so obsessed with? She wasn't necessarily _thin_, but she was small in terms of weight; and yet her body has such libidinous curves, currently highlighted by the wet yukata that stuck against her skin, showing the fullest of her mature figure. _Rin_ has indeed changed. And Sesshomaru had only realized this now.

_When was the last time he had a good look at her? _

It seemed as if it was only yesterday that she was a starving little kid that followed him around blindly. Now she's a woman, all grown-up. Time flew by too fast, the great demon lord barely noticed it's passing. But then again, for demons such as himself, time seemed like it stood standstill-for demons barely age, the passing of time doesn't mark them the way it marked the rest of the world. So used to being at the company of no one other than himself, he had almost forgot he was raising a _human_ child; and now that _child_ no longer needs raising.

Perhaps he had stared at her too long, she seemed to have noticed. Looking up at him, her own brown eyes met his golden-hued ones, before she smiled ever so gently, raising a hand to wave at him. Of course, Jaken was still talking-but it was obvious the girl paid no heed to him, and it was safe to assume she was ignoring him all these time as well. Sesshomaru averted his gaze away from her. All of a sudden, he felt uneasy, looking at her. Pushing himself up, he stood from his seat, letting the blowing wind dust his white tunic for him, pieces of dirt falling to back to the ground as he began to walk away.

* * *

He hadn't gone too far when he heard it.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

He stopped at his tracks and turned his head slightly sideways, not enough to seem as though he was interested to find out what it was, but enough to give him a view at the corner of his eyes of what it may be. The nearby bushes rustled, as if a clumsy creature was trying to get past through it's thick foliage. _A low-class demon perhaps?_

The first thing he saw was a clump of messed up, black hair. A couple of leaves and twigs are stuck in it's tangles. It was dripping wet, and the muddied water that dropped from it made a loud dripping sound against the rocky forest path. What seemed to be once a clean, bright-colored yukata, now looked all muddy and dirty, a long tear present at the lower left side of the garment-blood visibly running down from the knee, down to the foot. Her arms were scratched; possibly from trying to forced her way through the thick bush with just her bare hands. Her face was mud-streaked, her expression showed obvious pain and worry.

"Sesshomaru-sama!"

Rin's expression lightened up as she saw him, a small smile appearing on her thin lips. She jerked so suddenly, as if trying to sprint to his direction-but her injured knee gave in to the pressure, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. The maiden closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain of her body's impact against the rocky path. But it never came.

Instead, she felt the touch of his pale, cold hands on her upper arms, holding her close to keep her from falling.

"What happened?"

His voice was as cold as it always has been. His expression just as uncaring as always. But Rin knew better. Having been with him for almost 10 years now, she had long learned how to tell his seemingly similar expressions apart. He was worried.

She tried to smile more cheerfully, hoping her expression would help ease his worries.

"I saw you left earlier after I waved at you, and I thought maybe I did something wrong that got you mad, so I was worried and decided to follow you. I didn't bother changing, because I thought I might lose track of you... But I guess it wasn't a bright idea to walk around without changing to dry clothes first", she laughed softly to lighten the tension, "I slipped and injured my knee in the process".

Sesshomaru's expression didn't change. However, his eyes watched her intently as he helped her sit down at a nearby boulder to rest herself. Her knee seemed to have stopped bleeding, but he could see it was sore. Walking would only worsen it's condition. _Why would she think he was mad at her?_

Pondering on that thought, he noticed yet another thing different about her. She no longer talks in third-character, like she did as a child. When did she stop doing that? How did he not notice it before?

"We're going back."

Rin nodded in response, before trying to get up and start walking. But the demon lord placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her.

"You're in no condition to walk any further."

She looked into his eyes. Was he mad at her again for falling and being so careless?

"_Gomenasai_, Sesshomaru-sama..."

He picked her up gently, holding her close to his him. Who would have thought a demon of his caliber would have such a gentle side? He carried her in his arms the way a man would carry his woman-but Sesshomaru, who knew nothing of love and relationships, realized not he what he was doing. Nor did Rin knew. She might have aged and grew older, but her innocence was just as pure as it has always been. Hesitantly, she took hold of his furry armor, gripping the soft material against her body. Sesshomaru didn't seem to mind at the very least.

He walked slowly, as if trying to make the moment last. There was a battle going on at the demon lord's mind at that moment. A part of him wanted to hurry and bring her back to Jaken-both to have her injury treated, and to keep her a certain distance from him. For all of a sudden, he feels a dire need to keep away from her. Not far enough that he could no longer see her, but far enough that she was out of his reach. A pang a fear-an emotion he was not accustomed to having-is licking at his very being. He's afraid of something, and yet he cannot tell what it is that he so fears. Another side of him wants to take his time. To cherish the moment. It has been so long since he was alone with her. And last time, she was but a little child at his side. He wanted to use the moment to watch her, to observe her. To notice the things he hasn't paid attention to before. To know more about her than he already knew. He wanted to take his time enjoying the warmth of her body against his. He wanted to be able to memorize her scent, despite the muddy fragrance that came with it at the moment.

For the first time in his life, Lord Sesshomaru was conflicted.

He must have been lost in thought for too long-for when he turned to look at the maiden in his arms once more, she was fast asleep. Her eyes closed peacefully, without a worry at mind. It's amazing, how much she can relax and feel safe at his presence. He is a demon, after all. And a powerful one at that. When all else feared, him, she saw him as her protector. Her savior. What an odd girl she is.

His golden orbs scanned her sleeping body in his arms, taking in the sights he had long failed to notice. Despite the mud the dirtied her physique, she was undoubtedly still angelic. Her skin was soft, her hair, silky. The way her chest rises and falls as she slumbers was such a halcyon sight to see. Without realizing it, Sesshomaru had already stopped walking, lost in the beauty that was in his arms.

_When did she become so alluring?_

He leaned his face closer to hers-for both his hands were both too busy carrying her-gently blowing away the few strands of hair that strayed to her face. At the moment, he didn't have any intention to do anything other than watch her sleeping face, but as he drew closer, all he could see was her small, pinkish-red lips, seemingly pulling him closer and closer to her. His resolve began to shake. He was captivated, and part of him didn't want to fight it.

_"So this is it then..."_

His eyes closed, as he let himself fall into the hands of his deepest, truest desires.

His thin, cold lips touched hers. She tasted like strawberries in his mouth, but he really didn't mind. Her lips were soft-just as he thought they would be. Cherishing the very few seconds of bliss, he pulled away before she could wake, taking one final glance at her sleeping figure before starting to walk back to their camp again. Flashbacks of his father and Lady Izayoi played at the back of his mind as a soft sigh escaped his lips.

_Ah_. So he really _is_ his father's child. Sesshomaru has always been afraid to fall the way his father did-falling for a human girl-but his fears were realized too late. He had already fallen. He was, after all, destined to descend the same way-at the hands of a _rose_ that which he grew.

He felt the sleeping Rin move in his arms, her hands gripping on his clothes tightly, pulling herself closer to him. She was still asleep, and yet she buried her face against his chest, her breathing passing right through his thin silk kimono.

_Ah, a rose indeed._


End file.
